The official tallies were as follows: Glenn Feldman, Eugene Grant and Robert Hoyle (all US) 114-112, 116-110 and 117-109 respectively, all in favor of Kameda. The referee was Gerard White (US), who penalized the Japanese winner for his having hit low twice in the fifth and eleventh sessions.

The belt had been declared vacant since former champ Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. of Mexico failed to make the class limit of 115 pounds prior to his defense with Roberto Domingo Sosa in Las Vegas this June. The IBF then sanctioned an elimination bout between #3 Kameda and #4 ex-champ Guerrero who forfeited his belt to Juan Carlos Sanchez in February of the previous year.

Daiki, 24, used to be a flat-footed left hooker that love swapping punches toe-to-toe and swinging left hooks exclusively, but he completely changed his style in this game. He, from the outset, kept circling and trotting around the ring against the Mexican willing mixer. Hanging both hands low, Daiki tried to avert Guerrero’s inaccurate blows and occasionally countered with a few rights and lefts.

Guerrero, 25, was a switch-hitter, as informed, but he kept fighting only in a southpaw stance, missing the elusive target time and again. We hardly saw them exchanging punches in the first half as Daiki seemed only content to avert Guerrero’s shots and throw back a very few counters. The fifth saw the third man deduct a point from Daiki for hitting under the belt.

The Mexican didn’t look good at catching the moving target as he had difficulties hitting or touching Daiki with his roundhouse combinations in rounds seven and eight. Guerrero was much more aggressive, but least accurate in comparison with the defensive counterpuncher Daiki. It was Guerrero, however, that was in command in the ninth, as he desperately kept punching and stalking the negative dodger regardless of precision all the way.

Daiki showed his best in the tenth, when he positively turned loose and mixed it up with short but strong combinations that had Guerrero retreating and absorbing good punishment. Despite a penalization of a point for a low blow in the eleventh, Daiki remained aggressive down the stretch to seize an important victory.

There have been some precedents of a couple of brothers holding world belts simultaneously such as Galaxys, Bredahls, Ruelas’s, Marquezs, Klitschkos, et al. But it is the very first in boxing history that three brothers hold world championships at the same time. It is true that it could become possible as a Pandora’s box was opened with the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) having recognized the WBO and the IBF in addition to the WBC and the WBA since this April. But this record may have a rarity value without doubt.

The newly crowned Daiki became a Rinty Monaghan (ex-world flyweight champ in 1940’s well-known for making it a rule to sing after his fight) when he sang a popular song titled “Bridge to Glory” before some 4,000 spectators at the Sun Messe Kagawa. The champ was a good entertainer. Daiki jubilantly said, “I’m very happy to have accomplished this great record with my brothers.” Though previously castigated as less talented than his brothers Koki (26) and Tomoki (22), Daiki (24) did his duty to describe a new page in a fistic record book.